Perhaps as a child you can remember having an ant farm. You used to love sitting there, watching the ants as they made their way through the dirt. Sometimes you’d even give it a little shake to disrupt all of their hard work. Ant farms provided hours of entertainment for young minds.

One guy has decided that ant farms are a thing of the past, and he’s come up with an even better idea. Termite farms. The termite farms come complete with damp wood termites who feast on their very own hunk of a Douglass fir tree, so they have plenty of food to keep them happy for a long time. When it comes time to add water, you just inject a bit a couple of times a month.

Perhaps you’ve dealt with termites in your home in the past, and you can’t imagine having a termite farm on your desk, or giving your child one to play with and watch. What was the reasoning behind the invention of the termite farm? Its inventor found ants to be boring.

That may be true, but termites probably won’t be welcome in many homes across the country.

If you have a termite problem at your business or multi-family property, it’s important for you to contact a professional right away. This article might have been fun, but termites are a serious problem. We’re here to help you. Give us a call.

Are squirrels boring? They are definitely common and simple little creatures. However, squirrels also have their fair share of strange habits and incredible history. Did you know all of these interesting facts about squirrels?

World travelers! Squirrels call 5 continents their native home. Only Australia and Antarctica do not have native squirrel species.

Ancient civilizations! Squirrel fossils have been found from at least 35 million years ago. The earliest breeds were like the flying squirrels found today.

Weird cousins! The greater squirrel family includes species that are smaller, larger, toothier, and wilder than gray squirrels. Groundhogs and marmots are close cousins.

Long in the tooth! Ever notice how squirrels are always chewing? That’s partly because they must file down their incisors — which keep growing their entire lives.

What goes down… Squirrels are physically incapable of vomiting. They must be careful to spit out whatever they cannot digest.

Sweaty feet. Squirrels sweat through glands on their feet. Hence you may notice little squirrel paw prints on the sidewalk when it’s hot.

So, now you’re a squirrel expert! You still might need help taking care of a squirrel infestation. We offer humane squirrel trapping and 24-hour emergency service. If squirrels take over your attic, you’ll appreciate fast, safe removal so you can get your peace of mind back!

Consumer concerns and rising numbers of bed bug infestations create a perfect storm of anxiety for hotel and motel operators. Here’s what everyone in the hospitality industry should know about bed bugs:

Local media loves to report on bed bugs: Television news and newspapers seem to report on bed bugs whenever it’s a slow news day. When the news goes online, people share the story on social media with friends and relatives.

Customers are worried: Bed bug problems have left customers worried about hotel stays. With plenty of hotels to choose from, why risk booking a room at a brand linked to bed bugs?

Juries have awarded MILLIONS in bed bug lawsuits: Bed bugs can happen anywhere, but that doesn’t excuse a hotelier for failing to treat a known infestation. Lawsuits often result in huge awards to victims who were bitten and scarred at hotels and motels.

Take action to avoid bad publicity: Hotels should promptly investigate bed bug claims and call for bed bug extermination immediately. If someone posts about bed bugs on Yelp or TripAdvisor, management should publicly respond to the claim to assure customers.

Advanced bed bug control methods are available: Our modern bed bug control includes high-tech, non-toxic methods to eradicate bed bugs safely and quickly.

Groundhogs do plenty more than just predict the weather. They also destroy gardens, fight with pets, and may even spread disease. They’re cute, but there’s plenty to know about groundhogs:

Groundhogs are diurnal. Unlike opossums and other large rodents who are nocturnal, groundhogs sleep at night and conduct business during the day.

Groundhogs have winter homes. From October to March, groundhogs enter deep hibernation. They even make a special burrow just for the winter! Other small mammals bulk up and become less active during the winter — but groundhogs truly disappear underground.

At home in the trees! They’re called groundhogs for good reason, but they also climb trees exceptionally well. They typically only climb when looking for fruits and nuts to eat.

They outsmart many repellents. Tricks like leaving dog hair around the garden can scare away other garden-eating pests. Groundhogs are smarter than most people realize and quickly figure out any simple deterrents like that.

Groundhogs often bring predator animals to the neighborhood. Foxes, bobcats, and other predators usually know to stay away from humans and their property. However, they might be tempted to come onto your property if they sense wild prey like groundhogs.

Home gardeners and businesses with landscaping know that groundhogs are more destructive than most people realize. Call Stern Environmental for professional rodent control and we can safely trap and remove groundhogs off your property while helping prevent future damage.

The new technology of bedbug attracting pheromone traps is making headlines these days. But could these new traps really work to solve your infestation problems?

The theory
Bedbugs communicate using special chemicals called pheromones. Certain pheromones – called aggregate pheromones – send a signal to bugs after they’ve finished feeding to return to a certain spot for refuge.

Pheromone cocktail
Replicating aggregation pheromones produced by bedbugs, a special, six chemical blend has been synthesized which both attracts bedbugs – and compels them to stay put. The synthetic chemical blend in the trap is being marketed for those experiencing light to moderate bedbug infestations. Attracted to the traps, bedbugs can be isolated, killed, and discarded.

Could this really be an end to your bedbugs?
Yes and no. Though the trap is highly effective, it only takes a single female to begin an infestation, so unless you capture every last bug in the building, you could be hitting the “instant replay” button.

A great weapon in the bedbug arsenal
The new traps are expected to be a great tool in the fight against bedbug infestation, however due to the pervasive nature of the pests, they will not be a once and done, one-size-fits all solution. You should expect to employ multiple methods to ensure effective eradication.

Ready to see the all-clear signal in the fight against bedbugs? End the battle now. Contact Stern today.

]]>http://www.sternenvironmental.com/blog/2015/02/17/can-bed-bug-traps-be-used-to-solve-an-infestation-problem/feed/0http://www.sternenvironmental.com/blog/2015/02/17/can-bed-bug-traps-be-used-to-solve-an-infestation-problem/Will You Get a Welt or Not from a Bedbug Bite?http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SternsChatter/~3/S1sXmA5BUlA/
http://www.sternenvironmental.com/blog/2015/02/12/will-you-get-a-welt-or-not-from-a-bedbug-bite/#commentsThu, 12 Feb 2015 08:00:05 +0000http://www.sternenvironmental.com/blog/?p=4606

Will I Get The Moarks?

Good night, sleep tight, and keep an eye out for bedbug bites. Keeping a vigilant eye out for the creepy critters and their bites could really help you curtail a severe infestation.

Allergic reactions
Allergic reactions to bedbug bites such as asthma, widespread hives, and anaphylaxis are quite rare, however general allergic hives surrounding bites are not unusual.

Rashy reactions
A range of skin reactions are possible with bedbug bites, which may worsen thanks to sensitization resulting from repeated exposure. Rashy reactions to bedbug bites run the gamut, from flat red spots and small red bumps that itch, to itchy hive-like wheals surrounding punctures, and even blister-like rashes that may evolve to hard bumps.

No reaction
By far the most common reaction to a bedbug bite is – you guessed it – nothing. Simply a tiny, barely visible hole at the location of the bites.

Bedbugs bites have you scratching?
Giving in to the urge to itch is not in your best interest, as indulging in scratching could leave you with secondary skin infections and scars.

As not everyone gets a reaction to bedbug bites, sometimes it can be difficult to know just how bad an infestation is. When you start to see blood drops on your mattress and sheets as well as exoskeleton sheds, it is way past time to treat your problem.

Hopefully your business already takes simple steps to keep bugs and rodents away. Every business should be throwing away garbage regularly. Restaurants must store food in places where rodents can’t go. But what else can you do? Pests seem to show up at commercial properties even if you keep the place clean.

Drainage: Insects need water more than you might think! Take care of leaky plumbing. If water collects near the building’s foundation or entryways, clean out the gutters and consider upgrading the drainage system. Shovel away snow before it turns into standing water.

Air ducts: Many pests find the perfect home in a building’s duct work. If there are leaks, things get worse. Take care air ducts and other infrastructure that may need cleaning.

Clear the floors: Restaurants are not the only type of business that needs to keep food, boxes, and other items a few feet above the ground. With clear floors, cleaning is much easier and pests have fewer places to hide.

Talk to employees: This may seem obvious, but many employers try to avoid the topic altogether. Make sure that all staff members know best practices.

Prevention just might save your business from an embarrassing infestation! For the best results, contact Stern Environmental Group about commercial pest service including weekly, semi-weekly or monthly treatments.

The bedbug battle rages on as more and more of the blood-hungry pests infiltrate each and every welcoming nook and cranny they find.

Bedbugs are not a new pest. They’ve been around for a long, long time but the modern bedbug has additional help in traversing the globe much more than their ancestors.

With more international travelers making their way to and from modern countries as well as out of the way places, bedbugs have hopped aboard the plane, train, cruise ship, or automobile and are seeing the sights and enjoying tasty meals along the way.

In today’s world, there are more people staying in hotel rooms, thousands of people enjoying sports events at stadiums, or kids socializing in a dorm room. All of these locations are prime destinations for bedbugs.

Any out-of-the-way crack or crevice is a great place to call home from packed suit cases, sofas and chairs, stadium, school, or church seating, to the curtains in the home, or the bed at your favorite hotel.

Getting rid of an infestation is difficult but a new form of eradication is being studied at Simon Fraser University. Using five of the bugs chemical signals, a trap containing the chemicals is set. The bugs follow the chemical signal into the trap where a sixth chemical – histamine – keeps them in place.

]]>http://www.sternenvironmental.com/blog/2015/02/05/coming-soon-battling-bedbugs-by-faking-them-out/feed/0http://www.sternenvironmental.com/blog/2015/02/05/coming-soon-battling-bedbugs-by-faking-them-out/Would You Get Bitten by Thousands of Bedbugs in the Name of Science?http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SternsChatter/~3/kHch5ZbqtgQ/
http://www.sternenvironmental.com/blog/2015/02/03/would-you-get-bitten-by-thousands-of-bedbugs-in-the-name-of-science/#commentsTue, 03 Feb 2015 08:00:30 +0000http://www.sternenvironmental.com/blog/?p=4595

Willingly Bitten

How far would you be willing to go in order to get rid of bedbugs? While you’d most likely call an NJ bedbug control company to handle it, a Canadian biologist has taken more drastic measures for science. Regine Gries of Vancouver has let herself be bitten on a regular basis for several years as part of a study to develop a bedbug trap.

Each week during the five-year study, Gries was bitten by more than 1,000 of these pests. Gries volunteered for the study since she is only very mildly affected by their bites. She and her husband Gerhard, who is also a biologist, did the study to determine how to attract and repel bedbugs in order to create an effective bait trap.

Their results showed that bedbugs use odors to communicate with each other and that they don’t like histamine. The Gries put this information to use and found several chemicals that can lure bedbugs to seek shelter, which could be used as part of a trap. In fact, the Gries are currently working with a company in British Columbia to come up with a bedbug bait trap that could help homeowners deal effectively with these critters.

If you’re having a bedbug problem, contact Stern Environmental Group. Our NJ bedbug control experts can rid your home of these pests and help prevent them from coming back.

Groundhog Day is a pretty big deal in most parts of the United States. Whether you’re superstitious or not, it’s always fun to find out if the famed local groundhog is going to predict another six weeks of winter. If you’re lucky, the groundhog won’t see his shadow, and you can begin looking forward to spring approaching a little more quickly.

Last year, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio took part in a ceremony on February 2 at the Staten Island Zoo. As a part of the ceremony, he held Charlotte, who was dubbed as “Chuck” for the occasion. While he was holding her, she wriggled free and slipped out of his grasp. She fell to the ground and later died from internal injuries.

This year, the zoo has decided to do things a little bit differently, which is perfectly fine with the Mayor. Instead of holding the groundhog, the rodent will be on display in a plexiglass case. Mayor de Blasio is happy about the new arrangement; especially since other New York City Mayors have been bitten in the past.

Groundhog Day is a lot of fun, but having groundhogs tearing up your yard sure isn’t! Some of them carry rabies, and that can be a big problem for that spring garden you’re so proud of. Regardless of when spring finally arrives, if you have a groundhog problems, please contact us right away.